Benefits and Risks

BRYAN® Cervical Disc Video 56k | Broadband

Once you have gained adequate information about your condition, you must next weigh the benefits and risks associated with your various treatment options. Keep in mind the impact your condition has on your way of life and the limitations that your symptoms place on your ability to perform those activities most important to you.

In some cases, you may discover the risks involved in having a particular treatment are greater than the benefit you may gain from it. In other cases, the benefit to be gained may outweigh any possible risk. Discuss these issues with your family, and ask your health care team about anything you do not understand.

Potential Benefits

The benefits of surgery are relatively clear. When surgery goes well, patients experience less pain and are able to return to most of their normal activities. Patients should, however, plan on following a life-long program of exercise and nutrition designed to optimize their general health and the well being of their spine. For the majority of patients, the benefits of spine surgery are obvious because they have intolerable pain and want relief.

Some potential advantages of this surgery include:

• Maintenance of motion
• Reconstitution of the disc height
• Maintenance of mechanical characteristics

Potential Risks

Potential risks to any surgical procedure include unforeseeable complications caused by anesthesia, blood clots, undiagnosed medical problems, such as silent heart disease, and rare allergic reactions. Some risks of spinal surgery include incomplete pain relief, damage to the nerve roots, infection, and complications with the hardware. Most of these complications can be treated once they are detected, but sometimes they require a longer period of hospitalization or recovery, additional medications, and sometimes even additional surgery.

Depending upon the type of surgery that the patient is having, these risks will be explained by the primary surgeon. In general, these complications happen very infrequently, but it is important to remember that surgery is a human endeavor, and, therefore, mistakes and unforeseeable complications do occur. As a patient, it is important to understand and follow your doctor's advice so that the best possible outcome can be achieved.

Talk with your doctor to learn more about the BRYAN® Cervical Disc.

It is important that you discuss the potential risks, complications, and benefits of the BRYAN® Cervical Disc with your doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that you rely on your physician's judgment. Only your doctor can determine whether you are a suitable candidate for this treatment.

The materials on this Web site are for your general educational information only. Information you read on this Web site cannot replace the relationship that you have with your health care professional. We do not practice medicine or provide medical services or advice as a part of this Web site. You should always talk to your health care professional for diagnosis and treatment.

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